Birmingham City has joined with all other EFL clubs to reinforce a league-wide commitment eradicating bad language and aggressive behaviour in family areas on match days.

The club, which is bracing itself for the visit of Aston Villa on Sunday, has issued a statement on bcfc.com underlining the progress already made.

Junior and family attendances across the EFL has risen significantly over recent seasons following the ‘Enjoy the Match’ Campaign, an initiative that has helped clubs to promote a zero-tolerance policy on anti-social behaviour in family areas.

The statement said: “We want our fans to feel safe and part of a vibrant exciting match day experience.

“We ask all supporters to encourage the players, respect the match officials and help to create a great atmosphere inside St. Andrew’s.”

Blues’ director Panos Pavlakis has endorsed the campaign and said: “Here at Blues we want our fans to have the best possible experience on a match day and leave smiling no matter the result.

“It is important that our supporters feel able to report any instances of anti-social behaviour that they witness on match days so we can take any necessary action as required.

“We run a series of initiatives throughout the season that allow us to engage with families, school children and parents alike.

“When we run these initiatives we see a significant increase in match day ticket sales in our family area and it is down to us to do enough to make sure they come back. We want to do all we can to make their experience a better one.

“We are building a fan base for the future and it will always be our aim to make our fans proud of Blues.”